Abstract
Neuromodulation techniques for pain treatment have been used since ancient Rome, but knowledge about the interaction of electricity and drugs with the central nervous system (electrical and chemical neuromodulation) was not clear until the middle of the twentieth century. It was only then that the advent of neuromodulatory techniques allowed for more widespread clinical application for the treatment of several neurological and psychiatric conditions, including pain. In this chapter, we present the history of neuromodulation techniques for the treatment of pain, from its first applications to a more organized approach encompassing physiological and technological improvements producing the current concepts in neuromodulation. We also take an in-depth look at the current surgical techniques for neuromodulatory improvement of pain.